There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked gingerbread… Especially when it’s easily adaptable to different dietary needs. Make this gingerbread recipe gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan.
Make this gingerbread recipe vegan, gluten-free or diary-free
The best thing about this recipe is that it is all-natural and additive-free. Even the gingerbread spice mix is homemade.
The gingerbread cookie dough recipe also accommodates for most common food allergies. You can swap out ingredients to make the gingerbread cookies gluten-free, dairy-free and even vegan. Simply use the ingredients listed below.
Other serving suggestions
The second best thing about this recipe is the fact that nothing goes to waste. You can use the cooked leftover gingerbread dough scraps to make a delicious ice cream treat – simply mash into vanilla ice cream!
Or, you could pop a scoop of ice cream between two cookies and make gingerbread cookie sandwiches.
Who doesn’t like a little ice cream? Even Santa might like some… He probably does as the history of gingerbread dates back centuries.
Now here is an idea!
Why are my gingerbread cookies rock hard?
One word of warning: gingerbread may turn rock-hard for a couple of days after baking if you follow the second method (hard cookies).
This is natural as all the moisture has been drawn out of it during baking. It will start softening again by drawing moisture from the environment, so don’t be alarmed. Perhaps only bear in mind that you should gift it a few days after it’s been made.
How to store gingerbread for gifting?
Store baked gingerbread cookies in an air-tight container in the pantry and eat within a week or so (it depends on the humidity where you are a little).
If you are planning on gifting your gingerbread cookies, it is best to do so within a couple of days from baking. Place them in small jars or cellophane bags tied with a piece of festive string.
The smell of baking gingerbread cookies reminds me of Christmas because that’s when I first started making gingerbread. I was six. The recipe came from a little cookbook Santa left under the tree for me.
Gingerbread Cookies Two Ways
Ingredients
- 60 g butter or dairy-free butter spread
- 150 g honey or rice malt syrup
- 50 g brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tbsp Gingerbread spice mix get the recipe here
- 250 g plain flour or gluten-free plain flour
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Place butter, honey, sugar and spice mix into a small saucepan and heat on low, stirring until the butter melts. Set aside to cool.
- Sift flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Add the cooled butter, sugar and spice mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs.
- Start working the dough with your hands until it has come together, take out onto a flat surface and knead until the dough is pliable and uniform in consistency.
- Roll out in batches in between two sheets of non-stick baking paper to around 4mm for harder cookies or 8mm for softer cookies and cut out shapes as desired. Re-roll scraps and repeat the process
- Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan forced, 350F, gas mark 4) and bake in batches for around 8 minutes for the thinner / harder cookies and 10 minutes for the thicker / softer cookies.
- Remove from oven and leave on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week,
